Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR) is a

UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Man and the Biosphere Programme (MAB) is an intergovernmental scientific program, launched in 1971 by UNESCO, that aims to establish a scientific basis for the improvement of relationships between people and their environments. MAB's work enga ...

located on the east coast of

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. It was designated in 2000 by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

to protect a large second-growth

coast Douglas fir ''Pseudotsuga menziesii'' var. ''menziesii'', commonly known as Coast Douglas-fir, Pacific Douglas-fir, Oregon pine, or Douglas spruce, is an evergreen conifer native to western North America from west-central British Columbia, Canada southward ...

ecosystem in the watersheds of the Little Qualicum and

Englishman River Englishman River is a river in the eastern side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It starts on the eastern slopes of the Beaufort Range, originating from tiny Jewel Lake and flowing in an easterly direction for , entering the Strait o ...

s from being developed.

History

Early history

The watersheds of the Little Qualicum and Englishman Rivers on the northeastern slope of

Mount Arrowsmith Mount Arrowsmith is the highest mountain east of Port Alberni on Vancouver Island. Its dominant rock is basalt. The mountain is contained within the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region and as of September 18, 2009 is designated part of hectare ...

were once home to a large old-growth forest dominated by

. The forest was

clearcut Clearcutting, clearfelling or clearcut logging is a forestry/logging practice in which most or all trees in an area are uniformly cut down. Along with shelterwood and seed tree harvests, it is used by foresters to create certain types of forest ...

in the early 1900s but eventually rebounded as the trees matured. In the mid-1990s, local logging industries pressured the provincial government to permit clearcutting in the area as the trees neared their harvestable size. Local conservation groups protested additional logging of the recovering forest.

Establishment

In 2000,

, in cooperation with local conservation groups and the

provincial government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, ...

, designated the land in these watersheds a

, protecting the forest from being clearcut. In November 2008, the governing body of Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District in cooperation with local conservation groups established Mount Arrowsmith Massif Regional Park within the biosphere reserve to further protecting the forest from being clearcut.

Restructuring

In 2013, members of the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Foundation voted to dissolve the society and transfer management of the biosphere reserve to

Vancouver Island University Vancouver Island University (abbreviated as VIU, formerly known as Malaspina University-College and earlier as Malaspina College) is a Canadian public university serving Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia. Malaspina College began in 196 ...

(VIU) and the City of Parksville. In 2014, VIU established the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute, which is governed by representatives from the

Qualicum First Nation The Qualicum First Nation is a First Nations band government located in Qualicum Bay at the mouth of the Big Qualicum River, near Qualicum Beach on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Chief and Councillors Demographics The Qualicum Fir ...

Snaw-naw-as First Nation The Nanoose First Nation, also known the Snaw-naw-as First Nation, is a First Nations government located on central Vancouver Island in southwestern British Columbia, Canada, in the vicinity of the community of Nanoose Bay. They are Coast Salish pe ...

, City of Parksville, Town of Qualicum Beach,

Regional District of Nanaimo The Regional District of Nanaimo is a regional district located on the eastern coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the south by the Cowichan Valley Regional District, to the west by the Alberni-Clayoquot Regi ...

, BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, Vancouver Island Conservation Land Management Program, Island Timberlands, TimberWest, and VIU.

Protected areas

Protected areas located within the biosphere reserve include: * Arbutus Grove Provincial Park * Englishman River Regional Park *

Englishman River Falls Provincial Park Englishman River Falls Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. It is located west of Parksville and borders the small community of Errington on Vancouver Island. Features Short year round access hiking trails and brid ...

Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park Little Qualicum Falls Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada, on central Vancouver Island, that encompasses the entire southern shore of Cameron Lake. The Island Rail Corridor line to Port Alberni passes through the par ...

MacMillan Provincial Park MacMillan Provincial Park is a provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. Located west of Qualicum Beach and east of Port Alberni, the park straddles Highway 4 and the Island Rail Corridor in central Vancouver Island. It is nestled ...

* Mount Arrowsmith Massif Regional Park * Qualicum National Wildlife Area * Rathtrevor Beach Provincial Park *

Spider Lake Provincial Park Spider Lake Provincial Park is a provincial park located on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean ...

References

External links

*{{url, http://www.unesco.org/new/en/natural-sciences/environment/ecological-sciences/biosphere-reserves/europe-north-america/canada/mount-arrowsmith/, UNESCO Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere reserves of Canada Protected areas of British Columbia